Killarney's carnival
By Chris Simon

About 300 Killarney Beach Public School students participated in a winter carnival last week.The students competed in several games, including tug-of-war and ball hockey.

If you couldn't make it to Quebec City's Winter Carnival, Killarney Beach's was a good alternative.

Over 300 students attending Killarney Beach Public School in Lefroy participated in the first annual winter carnival, which took place at the school last week. The students played a variety of games, ranging from road hockey, obstacle courses and snow carrying races to sledding and tug-of-war. Students even drank hot chocolate and ate marshmallows, and received a visit from Bonhomme the snowman.

Although the winter wind was blistering at times, the outdoor event gave students an opportunity to have a relaxing and fun celebration of French culture, said teacher and organizer Deanna MacKay.

"Even though it's only grades 4 to 8 that take French, I involved the whole school," she said. "It's just to have some winter fun."

She says it's important to learn about French culture and language.

"Just making French fun is important," she said. "(It's about) learning there is another official language and the French Canadian culture. We've been learning a lot about the Winter Carnival."

This year is the 400th anniversary of Quebec City, North America's first permanent French settlement. And since Quebec's Winter Carnival finished last week, now is a good time to enjoy the province's heritage, she said.

Many of the older students ran the events, while volunteer parents served hot chocolate.

Photos by Chris Simon